Supporting the growth of staffers at Tides

SUPPORTING TOGETHERNESS: Tides Family Services' mission is to help families, but the nonprofit has worked hard in its 30 years to buttress its employees’ families as well through a number of initiatives.

A group of enthusiastic outreach personnel, social workers and clinicians make up the staff at Tides Family Services. It’s an agency focused on family preservation for its clients and employees.

Having grown from modest beginnings with approximately $15,000 in seed money and an office the size of a closet, Tides now has an operating budget exceeding $5 million and more than 100 employees. Its mission is to provide at-risk youth and their families support at home and in their communities.

Benefits of working at Tides include team-building staff-day activities that create a sense of unity. The La Sallian Leadership Institute, a three-year commitment, meets for a full week, twice a year, enhancing participants’ commitment to the mission. In addition, biweekly trainings for all supervisors regarding family systems and aspects of supervisory topics provide ongoing professional growth.

The company also offers extra personal paid time off following Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, with free or discounted tickets to family entertainment or sporting events.

Said a staff member in the Best Places To Work survey: “They always find creative ways to reward staff for their hard work. They take the welfare of the staff seriously and always give you the feeling that you are valued.”

The employee went on to say: ‘There is a general feeling that they want you to succeed and grow within the organization.”

“I can think of no better compliment as a member of senior management than to hear from a member of our staff,” said Chief Operating Officer Susan Kershaw-Sczuroski. •

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